Recommended bowl: 1st double soup ever

Open since 1996, Aoba is a Tokyo new-school ramen legend. Nestled in the backstreet circuitry of Nakano's alleyways, its claim to fame lies in the fact that it was the first shop to incorporate the ‘double soup’ method of mixing two separate soups into one bowl — one tonkotsu-based and one gyokai-based. This technique is now commonplace in the ramen world, so Aoba is no longer the superstar it once was, but they have gone on to open several other branches and will always have legend status.